Ursula Kern est persuadée que la mort prématurée de son employée, Mlle Clifton, n'est pas naturelle. Aidée par Slater Croxton, archéologue et aventurier, elle est déterminée à découvrir la vérité. Afin d'atteindre ce but, elle lui révèle ses plus profonds secrets.
Le coeur serré d'angoisse, Angelina Merryweather se rend en pleine nuit chez le comte Sebastian d'Anglestone. L'heure est grave et l'enjeu est grand : elle n'a que jusqu'à l'aube pour convaincre cet homme d'abandonner le duel contre son cadet. Le comte doit simplement présenter ses excuses à son frère, ainsi le combat sera annulé. Mais en trouvant la belle Angelina sur le pas de sa porte, Sebastian entend bien tirer profit de la situation... au risque de se retrouver pris à son propre piège.
Riche héritière, Victoria Huntington fuit comme la peste les coureurs de dot qui la pourchassent. Le mariage ne l'intéresse pas et, curieuse de nature, elle préfère explorer les quartiers louches de Londres déguisée en homme. Lorsque Lucas Colebrook, le nouveau comte de Stonevale, commence à lui faire la cour, elle l'éconduit avec dédain. Mais il n'est pas dans les habitudes de cet ancien soldat froid et arrogant, au caractère bien trempé, de renoncer facilement. Pour obtenir sa reddition, il a l'intention de la séduire. Et Victoria pressent qu'elle ne tardera pas à perdre cette bataille...
B>Beauty and glamour meet deception and revenge in this electrifying novel by New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick/b>. br>br> Investigative apprentice Lyra Brazier, the newest resident of Burning Cove, is unsettled when her boss suddenly disappears. Lyra knows something has happened to Raina Kirk, and tracks down her last known appearance at an exclusive hotel and health spa. The health spa is known for its luxurious offerings and prestigious clientele, and the wealthy, socialite background Lyra desperately wanted to leave behind is perfect for this undercover job. What Lyra lacks in investigative experience she makes up for in gut instinct, and her gut isnt happy that shes saddled with a partner by Luther Pell, Rainas dangerous lover, who wants to bring in someone with more experience to help. br>br> Instead of the suave, pistol-packing private eye she expected, though, Simon Cage is a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a quiet, academic air, and a cool, remote gaze. Lyra suspects that Simon is much more than what he seems, and her instincts are confirmed when they arrive at the spa and pose as a couple: Simon has a unique gift that allows him to detect secrets, a skill that is crucial in finding Raina. br>br> The unlikely duo falls down a rabbit hole of twisted rumors and missing socialites, discovering that the health spa is a façade for something far darker than they imagined. With a murderer in their midst, Raina isn''t the only one in grave danger--Lyra is next.
On murmure qu'il aurait assassiné sa première femme parce qu'elle le trompait. Il est vrai que Malcom Sinclair, comte de Ravenwood, est un homme bien étrange. Si Sophy accepte de l'épouser, c'est à une seule condition : pendant trois mois, il ne la touchera pas. Trois mois, le temps d'accomplir sa vengeance. Mais ses plus fermes résolutions ne résistent pas longtemps au charme de Malcom. Il lui suffit de croiser son regard troublant pour mesurer le pouvoir d'attraction de cet homme. Chacune de ses caresses exalte son désir jusqu'à l'extase. Pourtant, Sophy se veut intraitable. Elle se vengera. Quitte à risquer la vie de son mari. Quitte à relever le plus terrible des défis : réapprendre à cet être meurtri les délices de l'amour...
En apparence, Evangeline Ames est une simple demoiselle de compagnie. En réalité, grâce à ses capacités extrasensorielles, elle est détective au sein d'une agence un peu spéciale. Victime d'une tentative de meurtre, elle est contrainte de se cacher à Crystal Gardens, un immense domaine où un botaniste fou a mené d'étranges expériences avant d'être tué. Evangeline se croyait à l'abri, elle découvre que la mort rôde dans ces jardins hantés par des forces maléfiques. Et le charme de Lucas Sebastian, le propriétaire des lieux, n'est pas le moindre des dangers qui la guettent...
Béatrice Lockwood est médium, formée aux techniques paranormales par son mentor, le Dr Fleming. Lorsque celui-ci est assassiné, elle se rend vite compte qu'elle est épiée par un certain Joshua Gage, un étrange personnage au charme ténébreux, qui est sur la piste d'un maître-chanteur en rapport avec le meurtrier de Fleming. Afin de lui tendre un piège, il réquisitionne les talents particuliers de Béatrice. Leur enquête va les entraîner dans une aventure terrifiante, mais le danger attise les passions et, bientôt, l'alchimie brûlante qui les relie n'a rien de surnaturel.
In this suspenseful Arcane Society novel, New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick delves into the underworld of passion, greed and powers that lie beyond this realm. Victorian botanist Lucinda Bromley has a rare talent: the ability to detect almost any type of poison. She also tends many rare plants, including a species of fern that was stolen from her conservatory just last month--and which turns up in a poison that was used in a noblemans murder. To keep her name out of the investigation and to find the killer, Lucinda hires a fellow Arcane Society member. The founder of a psychical investigation agency, Caleb Jones is very good at protecting the Societys secrets--and frighteningly good at getting the truth. As a nearly overwhelming desire blooms between Caleb and Lucinda, they are drawn into the dark heart of a deadly conspiracy--and into a legacy of madness that could plunge Caleb into the depths of his own tortured soul...
Découvrir sa patronne sauvagement assassinée dans son boudoir, quel choc pour Anna ! La jeune secrétaire particulière sait qu'elle sera la principale suspecte et n'a d'autre choix que d'appliquer les dernières volontés de la riche mondaine new-yorkaise : fuir en emportant un mystérieux carnet. Anna devient donc Irène et prend la route de la côte Ouest... Une route semée d'embûches, sur laquelle elle va rencontrer Oliver Ward, un homme d'affaires, ex-star de la magie, avec qui elle s'engage dans un subtil jeu du chat et de la souris dans le Hollywood des années trente, aussi glamour que dangereux...
Amity Doncastera aime l'aventure et le risque. Benedict Stanbridge, homme de science et espion anglais, a connu le danger dans des contrées lointaines. Ils se rencontrent sur un navire entre les Caraïbes et New York et entament une relation amoureuse. Mais le Vengeur nuptial, un dangereux criminel qui sillonne les rues de Londres, décide de s'en prendre à eux.
Sur la côte d'Upper Biddleton, Harriet ramasse des fossiles. Dans les grottes, elle découvre des caches de bandits. Elle demande de l'aide au seigneur du lieu, Gideon Westbrook. Ce dernier a une réputation sulfureuse et il est très séduisant.
From the elegently appointed drawing rooms of London's most exclusive clubs to an imposing country estate in the heart of Dorset, comes a provocative tale of a free-thinking beauty, a dignified lord, and a mad impetuous love that defied all logic . . . Augusta Ballinger was quite sure that it was all a dreadful mistake. The chillingly pompous and dangerous Earl of Graystone could not possibly wish to marry her. Why, it was rumored that his chosen bride must be a veritable model of virtue. And everyone knew that Augusta, as the last of the wild, reckless Northumberland Ballingers, was a woman who could not be bothered by societys rules. That was why the spirited beauty had planned a midnight encounter to warn the earl off, to convince him that she would make him a very poor wife indeed. But when she crawled in through his darkened study window, Augusta only succeeded in strengthening Harrys resolve: to kiss the laughter from those honeyed lips and teach this maddening miss to behave! How could he possibly know that it was he who was in for a lesson . . . as his brazen fiancée set out to win his heart--and an old and clever enemy stepped in to threaten their love, their honor, and their very lives?
From the cozy confines of a tiny seaside village to the glittering crush of the a fashionable London soiree comes an enthralling tale of a thoroughly mismatched couple . . . poised to discover the rapture of love. There was no doubt about it. What Miss Harriet Pomeroy needed was a man. Someone powerful and clever who could help her rout the unscrupulous thieves who were using her beloved caves to hide their loot. But when Harriet summoned Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin, to her aid, she could not know that she was summoning the devil himself. . . . Dubbed the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past, Gideon was strong and fierce and notoriously menacing. Yet Harriet could not find it in her heart to fear him. For in his tawny gaze she sensed a savage pain she longed to soothe . . . and a searing passion she yearned to answer. Now, caught up in the Beast's clutches, Harriet must find a way to win his heart-and evade the deadly trap of a scheming villain who would see them parted for all time.
The second Ladies of Lantern Street novel from Amanda Quick explores the crimes, passions and paranormal secrets of Victorian London. Under the plain gray skirts of Miss Beatrice Lockwood's gown, a pistol waits at the ready. For Beatrice is a paid companion on a secret mission--and with a secret past--and she must be prepared to fight for her life at any moment. Yet she is thrown oddly off guard by the fierce-looking man who joins her in foiling a crime outside a fancy ball--and then disappears into the shadows, leaving only his card. His name is Joshua Gage, and he claims to know Beatrice's employers. Beyond that, he is an enigma with a hypnotically calm voice and an ebony-and-steel cane. . . . Joshua, who carries out clandestine investigations for the Crown, is equally intrigued. He has a personal interest in Miss Lockwood, a suspected thief and murderer, not to mention a fraudster who claims to have psychical powers. The quest to discover her whereabouts has pulled him away from his mournful impulses to hurl himself into the sea--and engaged his curiosity about the real Beatrice Lockwood, whose spirit, he suspects, is not as delicate as her face and figure. He does know one thing, though: This flame-haired beauty was present the night Roland Fleming died at the Academy of the Occult. Guilty or not, she is his guide to a trail of blood and blackmail, mesmerism and madness--a path that will lead both of them into the clutches of a killer who calls himself the Bone Man. . . .
It isn't easy making a living as a lady's companion when one possesses a sharp tongue and an original mind. That's why Emma Greyson has gone through three such positions in six months. Her current post at a tiresome country house party has her bored to tears--until an extraordinary encounter with the legendary Edison Stokes leads to a secret position as his assistant. Stokes is on a peculiar mission, searching for an anonymous thief who has stolen an ancient book of arcane potions. He suspects his quarry is among the party's guests--and that the villain is looking for an intuitive woman on whom to test a certain elixir. A woman just like Emma... For Emma, the new post brings unexpected passion and chilling danger. But when murder strikes, she realizes the awful truth. Unless she and Edison devise a scheme to outwit a merciless killer, she could forever lose the man of her dreams--and even her very life....
Épouser Howard Hudson, le célèbre mesmériste, n'était qu'une étape dans le plan de l'ambitieuse Céleste pour gagner les hautes sphères de la société.
Malheureusement, son ascension prend fin brutalement, lorsqu'on la retrouve, assassinée, dans un entrepôt. Céleste serait-elle impliquée dans le vol de la Méduse bleue ? Ce bracelet doit son nom à une gemme bleue gravée d'une tête de Méduse et on le dit doté de pouvoirs paranormaux. Certains collectionneurs iraient jusqu'à tuer pour se l'approprier. Engagés par Hudson, Lavinia et Tobias se lancent sur la piste de l'assassin.
Une nouvelle enquête qui leur réservera bien des surprises...
B>Return to 1930s Burning Cove, California, the glamorous seaside playground for Hollywood stars, mobsters, spies, and a host of others who find more than they bargain for in this mysterious town./b>br>br> Maggie Lodge, assistant to the reclusive advice columnist known only as Dear Aunt Cornelia to her readers, hires down-but-not-quite-out private eye Sam Sage to help track down the person who is blackmailing her employer. Maggie and Sam are a mismatched pair. As far as Sam is concerned, Maggie is reckless and in over her head. She is not what he had in mind for a client but he can''t afford to be choosy. Maggie, on the other hand, is convinced that Sam is badly in need of guidance and good advice. She does not hesitate to give him both. br> br> In spite of the verbal fireworks between them, they are fiercely attracted to each other, but each is convinced it would be a mistake to let passion take over. They are, after all, keeping secrets from each other. Sam is haunted by his past, which includes a marriage shattered by betrayal and violence. Maggie is troubled by intense and vivid dreams--dreams that she can sometimes control. There are those who want to run experiments on her and use her for their own purposes, while others think she should be committed to an asylum.br> br> When the pair discovers someone is impersonating Aunt Cornelia at a conference on psychic dreaming and a woman dies at the conference, the door is opened to a dangerous web of blackmail and murder. Secrets from the past are revealed, leaving Maggie and Sam in the path of a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to exact vengeance.
Si Tobias March a accepté l'invitation des Beaumont au bal costumé qu'ils organisent dans leur luxueux domaine campagnard, c'est uniquement pour profiter de deux nuits tranquilles avec Lavinia. Il en a plus qu'assez des rencontres furtives, où l'on risque à tout moment d'être dérangé ! Lavinia, elle, obéit à des raisons plus mercantiles. Tout le gratin londonien se retrouvera chez les Beaumont. Ce serait bien le diable si elle ne parvenait pas à trouver quelques nouveaux clients...
Lorsque Lavinia Lake entreprend de se lancer dans une enquête qui l'implique personnellement, elle est loin d'imaginer qu'elle croisera le chemin de Tobias March, détective privé. S'il apprécie peu de voir cette jeune femme marcher sur ses brisées et menacer ainsi son investigation, Tobias la convainc toutefois de travailler de concert avec lui. Voici le duo sur la piste d'un mystérieux sculpteur, auteur de macabres poupées de cire. Déterminée à résoudre l'énigme qui menace sa nouvelle cliente, Lavinia est prête à mettre sa vie en danger. Mais c'est sans compter sur le charmant Tobias, tout aussi résolu à protéger sa séduisante partenaire...